This morning, I was reading the passage of Scripture about the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Every time I think of the armor of God I remember my plastic armor set that wouldn’t withstand a little wind and a water gun let alone a real battle. My brother and I would suit up and charge outside where we would stage epic battles against some invisible enemy, the trees, our German Shepherd “Gretchen” (bless her heart), and even each other. Ah, those were the good ol’ days.
Just to refresh your memory, the suit of armor listed in Ephesians contains the Belt of truth, the Breastplate of righteousness, Shoes of peace, Shield of faith, Helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. I’m not really going to go into in modern day applications of these pieces at this time. ha.
What stood out to me today is that with all of the armor listed, there is only one weapon, everything else is defensive. The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon; our only offense is the Word of God (vs.17). We fight with the Word of God; in better words, the Word of God fights for us, on our behalf. “We” don’t really fight at all. Our job is to stand.
All the other times that I’ve read “...put on the whole armor of God...”, I start wondering if I’m fully outfitted and, if I’m not, how to finish getting dressed. And before I know it, everything’s become self-focused. Something is wrong when our gaze shifts to these garments instead of being locked on the One who IS the truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation.
When you feel like you’re facing something that’s bigger than you...when you feel like you don’t have anymore strength...you can’t hear your future because your past is screaming in your ears...you’ve lost your hope...you lack direction...and everything around you seems to be crashing in on top of you...stand.
You don’t have to fight for yourself because this battle, this situation, or whatever it is that you are up against, belongs to the Lord and He fights for you and He always wins. Keep your eyes locked on His and stand. Stand on the promises of His Word. Stand on the peace that comes from knowing the unquenchable love of God that encompasses every struggle and fills you with strength. Stand with the confidence that your salvation is guarding your mind and your thoughts and holding your gaze on your Beloved. Stand in the sweet freedom that your heart is blameless before the Lord and you are no longer bound by what once held you, but by the truth of Who God is and who you are in Christ. Stand with the knowledge that by trusting God to fight on your behalf, He stands between you and the enemy.
“Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on the Rock.” ~Matthew 7:25
“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” ~Romans 8:31
Stop fighting and stand in His presence. Tell me, what do you think can happen when we trust God with just one fight?
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